“The streets of our country are in turmoil. The
universities are filled with students rebelling and
rioting. Communists are seeking to destroy our
country. Russia is threatening us with her might,
and the Republic is in danger. Yes ~ danger from
within and without. We need law and order!
Without it our nation cannot survive.”
~ ADOLF HITLER, 1932
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After two hijacked commercial airliners slammed
into the World Trade Center on September 11th,
the American public was told they were now at war
with enemies of freedom, and that a global network
of radical Muslims lurked everywhere. The attack
had shocked the entire nation, and the population
was desperate for any solutions, regardless of their
merit. The government had cited a clear danger to
the public, and had many responses ready to be carried out. Shortly after the attacks, the “Patriot Act”
was passed, allowing law enforcement to conduct
surveillance on citizens as well as search though
their records and tap their phones without a warrant. Although many Americans were outraged by
this infringement on their rights, the Bush Administration exploited the fear of terrorism to support
the bill. Also quickly following on 9/11, American
forces invaded Afghanistan, despite global condemnation, on the basis that the Taliban was harboring
Osama Bin Laden. And the war rages on, five years
after Osama was purportedly killed in 2011. The
three elements of the fear appeal had been successfully coordinated. The state cited a danger, provided
solutions that relieved public anxiety, and carried
them out with efficiency.
Following the outbreak of war, news stations such
as Fox News began peddling anti-Muslim information that garnered support for the “War on Terror.” In some interviews, Islam was portrayed as an
abhorrent ideology that oppresses its followers and
promotes violence against non-believers. In one
interview, Franklin Graham stated, “I speak out for
people enslaved by Islam, that they can be freed by
faith in Jesus Christ alone.” In another interview,
Fox aired this statement from Mosab Yousef: “their
god is a terrorist and ignorant.” It is this rhetoric
that created a toxic cloud of fear among the people,
and also promoted religious persecution in a country that claims to be the bastion of tolerance.
Since 2001, there have been thousands of hate
crimes against Muslims such as the torching of
mosques, public burning of Qurans, and in some
cases even the murder of innocent people. An
article published by Russia Today cites the rise in
hate crimes against followers of Islam.
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Similarly to the World Trade Center attacks in
2001, Germany also experienced an act of terror
when a supposed communist arsonist burned down
the Reichstag, the German parliament building, in
1933. The Nazi Party at that time was still an elected
element in the government that was bound to a
constitution, and their power was rivaled by many
other political groups, such as the Communist
Party. Hitler was quick to blame the Communists
for setting the Reichstag on fire, and used the crisis
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